California Defense Budget Crisis Tracker
Real-time tracking of budget cuts, hiring freezes, layoffs, and caseload crises across California's public defense system. Updated regularly from county budget filings, news reports, and organizational announcements.
233
Positions Affected
17
Events Tracked (12mo)
3
Critical Providers
7
Regions Impacted
Budget Cut
Top Cause
The Sixth Amendment Underfunding Crisis
The constitutional right to counsel is being undermined by chronic underfunding of public defense across California and the nation.
73%
Of CA counties with defender shortages
2–3x
Caseloads above ABA recommended maximums
$6.4M
In budget cuts over the past 12 months
Sacramento County Public Defender
Sacramento PD Eliminates Community Defense Unit to Close Budget Gap
6
positions affected
4%
budget cut
$680K
budget impact
Federal Public Defender — Southern District of California
Southern District FPD Cuts Staff Amid Immigration Docket Surge
3
positions affected
7%
budget cut
$620K
budget impact
Los Angeles County Public Defender
LA County PD Reports 100+ Vacancies, Declares Staffing Emergency
105
positions affected
Siskiyou County Public Defender
Siskiyou County Closes PD Office, Moves to Full Contract System
3
positions affected
100%
budget cut
$220K
budget impact
Contra Costa County Public Defender
Contra Costa Creates New Mental Health Defense Unit with Realignment Funds
+8
positions added
+5%
budget increase
$1.4M
funding restored
Madera County Public Defender
Madera County Lays Off Two PD Attorneys After Revenue Collapse
2
positions affected
14%
budget cut
$280K
budget impact
Federal Public Defender — Northern District of California
Northern District Federal PD Hit by 10% Budget Cut in New Fiscal Year
7
positions affected
10%
budget cut
$1.9M
budget impact
San Diego County Public Defender
San Diego Approves 12% PD Salary Increase to Address Recruitment Crisis
$4.2M
funding restored
Legal Aid Society of San Diego
LASSD Criminal Record Clearance Unit Cut by Half
3
positions affected
50%
budget cut
$350K
budget impact
Riverside County Public Defender
Riverside County Freezes PD Hiring Amid Pension Shortfall
12
positions affected
Kings County Public Defender
Kings County Freezes PD Salaries for Third Year, Triggers Mass Departure
3
positions affected
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
Ella Baker Center Loses Foundation Funding, Scales Back Defense Work
3
positions affected
30%
budget cut
$800K
budget impact
Tehama County Board of Supervisors
Tehama County Eliminates Dedicated Juvenile PD Position
1
positions affected
15%
budget cut
$110K
budget impact
San Bernardino County Public Defender
San Bernardino Imposes Rolling Furloughs on PD Office
65
positions affected
5%
budget cut
$980K
budget impact
Northern California Innocence Project
NCIP Loses DOJ Grant, Cuts Case Intake by 40%
2
positions affected
25%
budget cut
$500K
budget impact
Santa Clara County Public Defender
Santa Clara County Approves New Holistic Defense Pilot with State Grant
+10
positions added
+6%
budget increase
$2.1M
funding restored
Imperial County Public Defender
Imperial County PD Attorneys Carry 700+ Cases Each, Highest in State
Federal Public Defender — Central District of California
Federal Defender Services Faces 8% Sequestration Under Continuing Resolution
12
positions affected
8%
budget cut
$3.2M
budget impact
Stanislaus County Public Defender
Stanislaus County Lays Off Four PD Attorneys After Sales Tax Revenue Drop
6
positions affected
11%
budget cut
$720K
budget impact
Los Angeles County Public Defender
LA County Extends Support Staff Freeze, Adds Attorney Slowdown
82
positions affected
2.6%
budget cut
$8.5M
budget impact
California State Public Defender (OSPD)
OSPD Faces Second Consecutive Year of Budget Reductions
2
positions affected
3%
budget cut
$1.1M
budget impact
Glenn County Board of Supervisors
Glenn County Switches from Staff PD to Contract System
2
positions affected
100%
budget cut
$95K
budget impact
Alameda County Public Defender
Alameda County PD Absorbs $2.8M Budget Reduction
6
positions affected
7%
budget cut
$2.8M
budget impact
Federal Public Defender — Eastern District of California
Federal Sequestration Threat Triggers Hiring Freeze in Eastern District
3
positions affected
6%
budget cut
$480K
budget impact
Riverside County Conflict Defense Panel
Riverside Panel Rates Remain at $65/hr Despite Cost-of-Living Surge
San Francisco Public Defender
San Francisco Restores PD Funding After Community Advocacy Campaign
+8
positions added
+4%
budget increase
$1.5M
funding restored
Modoc County Board of Supervisors
Modoc County Eliminates Second PD Position, Relies on Single Attorney
1
positions affected
50%
budget cut
$125K
budget impact
Root & Rebound
Root & Rebound Faces 20% Budget Cut as IOLTA Revenue Plummets
3
positions affected
20%
budget cut
$420K
budget impact
Merced County Public Defender
Merced County Imposes 10-Day Furlough on All PD Staff
12
positions affected
4%
budget cut
$145K
budget impact
San Joaquin County Public Defender
San Joaquin PD Declares Caseload Emergency, Seeks Relief from Court
5
positions affected
Kern County Public Defender
Kern County Lays Off Seven PD Staff in Budget Emergency
7
positions affected
9%
budget cut
$890K
budget impact
Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles
LAFLA Loses Major Federal Grant, Cuts Criminal Defense Program
8
positions affected
15%
budget cut
$1.2M
budget impact
San Bernardino County Public Defender
San Bernardino PD Freezes All Hiring Through End of Fiscal Year
15
positions affected
California State Public Defender (OSPD)
Governor's Office Orders 5% Across-the-Board Cut to OSPD
4
positions affected
5%
budget cut
$1.8M
budget impact
Lassen County Public Defender
Lassen County Eliminates Staff PD, Switches to Contract Model
3
positions affected
100%
budget cut
$180K
budget impact
Fresno County Indigent Defense Panel
Fresno Conflict Panel Rates Frozen at $75/hr for Fifth Consecutive Year
Tulare County Public Defender
Tulare County Slashes PD Budget by 12% in Midyear Revision
3
positions affected
12%
budget cut
$580K
budget impact
Los Angeles County Public Defender
LA County PD Implements Partial Hiring Freeze Amid Budget Shortfall
45
positions affected
1.3%
budget cut
$4.2M
budget impact
At-Risk Defense Providers
Organizations facing the highest risk of further budget disruptions based on current fiscal and staffing indicators.
Imperial County Public Defender
Imperial County, San Diego
Risk Factors
- Caseloads exceeding 700 per attorney
- Lowest salaries in Southern California
- Unable to recruit replacement attorneys
- +2 more factors
Projected: Office may be unable to constitutionally represent all defendants within 6 months without emergency intervention.
Kings County Public Defender
Kings County, Central Valley
Risk Factors
- Three-year salary freeze while DA received raises
- Three of eight attorneys resigned in 2025
- Lowest starting salary in California ($68,000)
- +2 more factors
Projected: Office faces potential collapse if additional attorneys depart. County may be forced to switch to contract system.
Merced County Public Defender
Merced County, Central Valley
Risk Factors
- Prior furloughs reduced effective staffing
- Chronic inability to recruit attorneys
- 100% reliance on county general fund
- +2 more factors
Projected: Without salary increases to attract candidates, office may drop below minimum staffing levels needed for constitutional representation.
San Joaquin County Public Defender
San Joaquin County, Central Valley
Risk Factors
- Active caseload emergency declared in 2024
- Caseloads exceed 600 per attorney
- Salary gap with neighboring counties
- +2 more factors
Projected: Court may appoint outside counsel at county expense, potentially costing more than properly funding the PD office.
Kern County Public Defender
Kern County, Central Valley
Risk Factors
- Seven positions eliminated in 2024 layoffs
- County revenue tied to volatile oil prices
- Caseloads exceed 400 felonies per attorney
- +2 more factors
Projected: Another oil price decline could trigger additional layoffs. Capital defense capacity already strained beyond sustainable levels.
Riverside County Public Defender
Riverside County, Inland Empire
Risk Factors
- Hiring freeze with 12 unfilled positions
- County pension shortfall of $45M
- Conflict panel rates stagnant since 2019
- +2 more factors
Projected: Hiring freeze expected to continue through FY 2026-27. Caseloads in Indio and Murrieta branches approaching crisis levels.
San Bernardino County Public Defender
San Bernardino County, Inland Empire
Risk Factors
- Combined hiring freeze and furloughs in consecutive years
- 65 staff affected by rolling furloughs
- 15 attorney vacancies during hiring freeze
- +2 more factors
Projected: Continued furloughs may trigger additional resignations, creating a downward staffing spiral in the largest county by area.
Los Angeles County Public Defender
Los Angeles County, Los Angeles
Risk Factors
- 100+ vacancies across all classifications
- Attrition outpacing hiring 3-to-1
- County general fund deficit projected at $500M
- +2 more factors
Projected: The largest PD office in the world risks systemic inability to provide timely representation. Scale of impact would be unprecedented.
Federal Public Defender — Central District of California
Federal, Los Angeles
Risk Factors
- 8-10% sequestration under federal budget constraints
- CJA panel rate cuts reducing available panel attorneys
- Immigration docket growing 15% year-over-year
- +2 more factors
Projected: Federal funding instability could force furloughs affecting the nation's largest federal defender office during a period of expanding dockets.
Federal Public Defender — Southern District of California
Federal, San Diego
Risk Factors
- Three attorney positions already cut in 2026
- 35% immigration docket increase
- Highest per-attorney caseload among federal offices
- +2 more factors
Projected: Office may be forced to decline case appointments, requiring costly CJA panel appointments at reduced rates.
Stanislaus County Public Defender
Stanislaus County, Central Valley
Risk Factors
- Four attorneys laid off in January 2025
- State grant funding expired without renewal
- Caseloads exceeding 500 per attorney
- +2 more factors
Projected: Without restoration of lost positions, office will struggle to provide constitutionally adequate representation.
Tulare County Public Defender
Tulare County, Central Valley
Risk Factors
- 12% budget cut in 2023 never restored
- Operating at 65% of recommended staffing
- Agricultural community with high bilingual demand
- +2 more factors
Projected: Without budget restoration, ongoing constitutional compliance concerns. Agricultural season caseload spikes overwhelming limited staff.
Root & Rebound
Alameda County, Bay Area
Risk Factors
- 30% IOLTA revenue dependency during rate volatility
- Three positions already eliminated in 2024
- Foundation funding landscape shifting
- +2 more factors
Projected: Further IOLTA declines could force additional staff reductions, potentially shuttering the organization's direct legal services.
Siskiyou County Contract Defense
Siskiyou County, North State
Risk Factors
- Entire office closed in January 2026
- Flat-rate contract may not cover actual caseload
- Amicus brief filed challenging arrangement
- +2 more factors
Projected: Contract arrangement may be challenged in court. If overturned, county will need to rapidly rebuild defense capacity.
Madera County Public Defender
Madera County, Central Valley
Risk Factors
- Two attorneys laid off in January 2026
- Only four attorneys remaining for full county
- Caseloads exceeding 450 per attorney
- +2 more factors
Projected: Loss of one more attorney could trigger constitutional challenge. No regional capacity to absorb overflow cases.
Sacramento County Public Defender
Sacramento County, Sacramento
Risk Factors
- Community defense unit eliminated in February 2026
- Jail medical costs consuming county budget
- State capital but county budget under pressure
- +2 more factors
Projected: Loss of community defense unit reduces ability to address root causes of client involvement in the justice system.
Why Is This Happening?
The Sixth Amendment guarantees every person accused of a crime the right to effective assistance of counsel. Yet across California and the nation, public defense systems are chronically underfunded, understaffed, and overwhelmed.
County budget pressures are the primary driver. Rising pension costs, declining tax revenues, and competing budget priorities consistently push public defense to the back of the line. Unlike prosecutors, who are often shielded by law enforcement funding coalitions, public defenders lack organized political constituencies to protect their budgets.
Federal funding cuts compound the problem. Federal defender offices operate on congressional appropriations through the Defender Services Account, which has faced sequestration threats and actual cuts in recent years. CJA panel attorney rates, paid to private attorneys who take federal cases, remain far below market rates.
The result is a constitutional crisis. Attorneys carrying 400 to 700+ cases per year cannot provide meaningful representation. Rural counties are closing defender offices entirely. Experienced attorneys are leaving for better-paying positions, and replacements cannot be recruited at current salary levels.
Affected by Budget Cuts?
Our Fast-Track program connects displaced defense professionals with new opportunities at public defender offices, legal aid organizations, and criminal defense firms across California.